Rwanda

• New Year’s Day
• New Year’s Holiday
• New Year’s Holiday
• Heroes’ Day
• Tutsi Genocide Memorial Day and Good Friday
• Easter Monday
• Eid Ul Fitr
• Worker’s Day
• Eid El Haj
• Independence Day
• Independence Day Holiday
• Liberation Day
• Umuganura Day
• Assumption Day
• Christmas Day
• Boxing Day.

Working Hours

The standard workweek in Rwanda cannot be more than 45 hours.

Minimum Wage

Officially, there is no minimum wage in Rwanda, although a minimum wage is contained in the 1974 Labour Law which is unofficially used. The minimum wage contained in the 1974 Labour Law is RWF 100 per day.

Employee Tax

Annual income (up to Nov 2023)	Tax rate
Up to RWF 60,000	0%
RWF 60,001 - 100,000	20%
More than RWF 100,000	30%
Annual income (from Nov 2023)	Tax rate
Up to RWF 60,000	0%
RWF 60,001 - 100,000	10%
RWF 100,001 - 200,000	20%
More than RWF 200,000	30%
Social security contribution	13.8%

Bonuses

There are no statutory bonus schemes in Rwanda.

Employment contracts can be either oral or written, and can be concluded for a fixed term; an indefinite period; or for a well-defined task. An employment contract must be concluded in writing if its duration exceeds 90 days.

A written contact must contain the following information:

• complete identity of both parties and workplace;
• nature and duration of contract;
• nature of job;
• probation period;
• notice period;
• salary;
• allowance and deductions;
• data and place of payment;
• rate of overtime remuneration;
• relevant collective labour convention;
• internal rules and regulations of the employer;
• employment category and level of occupation;
• weekly working hours; and
• other clauses favourable to the worker.

An employment contract must be concluded in Kinyarwanda and in any other official language.

Fixed-term contracts are permitted in Rwanda. However when used for non-temporary vacancies, there is a risk that the employment may be re-characterised by courts into open-ended contracts.

There is no statutory limitation on the maximum duration of successive fixed-term contracts.

Annual Leave

Employees in Rwanda are entitled to 18 days of paid annual leave per year. An additional day of leave is given for every three years of continuous service, up to a maximum of 21 days.

Sick Leave

Employees in Rwanda are entitled to sick leave of up to 6 months, if certified by a doctor. The employer may require the employee to submit a certificate signed by three recognised medical doctors if the illness goes beyond 15 days.

The employer is not obliged to pay an employee who is absent for more than two days without providing a medical certificate.

Of the maximum 6 months of sick leave, the first three months are paid while the last three months are unpaid.

Parental Leave

Maternity leave: female employees are entitled to 14 weeks' full paid.

Paternity leave: male employees are entitled to seven (7) working days fully paid.

Termination Process

Indefinite term contracts may be terminated by either of the parties by serving a notice or payment in lieu of notice, provided the employment is being terminated for legitimate reasons.

Severance Pay

In Rwanda, employees are entitled to severance pay upon dismissal provided that they have completed at least one year of service with the employer.  Severance pay is payable at the following rates:

• Fewer than 5 years: One month’s salary
• 5 to 10 years: Two months’ salary
• 10 to 15 years: Three months’ salary
• 15-20 years: Four months’ salary
• 20 to 25 years: Five months’ salary
• Over 25 years: Six months’ salary

Under a Mauve Group Employer of Record (EOR) solution, clients and their international workers benefit from Mauve’s Global Master Insurance Programme—a market-leading, unified corporate insurance system that links all Mauve entities to two preferred providers. As part of our global Employer of Record services, this programme ensures that companies expanding globally through our EOR service have access to reliable and compliant insurance coverage for overseas employees.

The insurance provides comprehensive coverage in international locations via a combination of the master policy and jurisdiction-specific local policies where required by law. This ensures full compliance and protection in line with local employment regulations—key to any international Employer of Record solution.

The policies include:

• Employer’s Liability and Public Liability – £10,000,000 combined limit
• Professional Indemnity – £5,000,000 limit
• Worker’s Compensation – Limit varies depending on the country of employment

For detailed information about statutory and recommended EOR insurance coverage in your chosen country, get in touch with Mauve’s global compliance team.